In cereals, the most important mycotoxin-producing fungi are Fusarium species, which infect cereals during the growing season and cause yield loss and mycotoxin contamination of the grain. With the current occurrence of mycotoxins in grains in Norway VKM identified deoxynivalenol (DON) as the main mycotoxin of concern for human and animal health. Pig is in comparison to other domestic animals, particularly sensitive to DON. At current levels of DON in pig feed there is a high risk that DON

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... es the pigs´ performance and welfare. For humans, the calculated exposure shows that infants and children exceed the TDI for DON from consumption of flour and oat flakes. Exceeding the TDI is of concern, although the TDI is not a threshold for toxicity. Although there is a large annual variation in the occurrence of DON, VKM notes that during the last decade, parallel to an increased precipitation during the flowering period, there has been a strong increase in the infection rate and occurrence of DON in oats and wheat. Future climate change in Norway, with increased temperature and possibly increased precipitation during the flowering period, would imply a significant increase in problems with Fusarium infection and occurrence of mycotoxins in cereals in the years to come. VKM also identified important gaps in knowledge and data with respect to plant production, especially concerning Fusarium infection rates and protective measures against infection. Also, data on occurrence and data on toxicity of mycotoxins, particularly in some domestic animal species and for emerging toxins, are lacking.